Reject or Replace?
by SuzukiChiyeko
Summary: It's incredible how a single note can bring back so many feelings of doubt and uncertainty. Akihiko has always managed to remain calm and composed, until he reads a certain letter addressed to his beloved brunet. Misaki is forced to make an important decision in his life, but what will the outcome be?
1. Part I

**Hello everybody! I'm currently working on a new chapter for 'Undeniable Obedience', but I'm kind of stuck on that story right now. So, in the meantime, here's something else for you to read :)**

**This takes place a few days after the latest act of the Junjou Romantica manga - the festival chapter. It isn't going to be a very long story, but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless.**

**I do not own Junjou Romantica!**

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**Reject or Replace?**

**Part I**

Moss green eyes darted from the front door to the note in Misaki's hands. His whole body was trembling as he tried to read the words on the paper once more. A lightheaded feeling overwhelmed him and small white spots formed in front of his eyes, blurring his eyesight.

The content of the letter wasn't what frightened Misaki, but rather the thought of how Akihiko would react to it. He had no idea how to explain this to his lover without upsetting the man; it was downright impossible. There was no way Akihiko would be okay with any of it, especially after what had happened not too long ago.

Perhaps the brunet had simply misread something, or at least that's what he hoped for. Who in the right mind would send someone such a request despite knowing the most important details of Misaki's love life?

It was very fortunate that Akihiko was at a meeting, because Misaki was actually scared to face him. There was something inside of him that told him the author was going to get mad at Ijuuin and Misaki didn't want to go through something similar again. It was already bad enough that Akihiko almost tried to beat the crap out of the mangaka after the latter had practically abducted his lover.

No, there was absolutely not a chance that Misaki would go on a date with the man he had already rejected—and in fact, he had done that not too long ago. Yet, he didn't know how to properly turn the offer down; Ijuuin probably wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

Misaki's eyes scanned the note again.

_Hello Takahashi-kun,_

_After the small incident we had, I was hoping that you are willing to give me a chance to apologize to you properly. I still want to get to know you better, so perhaps we could meet in front of the bookstore tomorrow at 10 am?_

_- Ijuuin Kyou_

With a soft sigh, Misaki laid the note back onto the coffee table. Undoubtedly, Ijuuin was upset about Akihiko's interference and wanted to try again, but he didn't write it down that way to seem polite and calm. Misaki had already noticed by the way the mangaka and the author always looked at one another that they were at war. Akihiko didn't want to give Misaki up while Ijuuin tried to win his love no matter what it'd take.

The situation was getting more and more ridiculous with each passing day. Even though Misaki knew he loved Akihiko more than he could ever love anyone else, he found it hard to turn his idol down without hurting his feelings. Apparently, Ijuuin was not the kind of person to understand subtle messages, but Misaki didn't want to sound too harsh. He had to tell Ijuuin that he's in a relationship and refuses to leave Akihiko.

Unfortunately, this wasn't as easy as he thought at first.

Perhaps, if Misaki accepted the invitation and went on a date with Ijuuin, they could have a serious conversation about the whole thing.

"I'm home."

Misaki swiftly spun around to see that Akihiko had returned home. It was nowhere near surprising that the man was early; he had probably run away from his responsibilities at work when he got the chance. Nevertheless, the young man felt a lump in his throat as he watched Akihiko walk in his direction. A neutral, slightly tired expression was visible in those violet orbs.

Moving slowly, Akihiko locked his arms around his lover and pulled him to his chest, resting his head on the other's left shoulder.

"Did you miss me?" the author asked in a sleepy voice. It didn't take long before Misaki discovered the hint of amusement within the man's words. After finishing his boring work, Akihiko wanted nothing more than to tease his little lover.

With a bright blush, Misaki pushed him off. "You wish! Why would I miss you if you're off to work? It's not like you'd stay away forever."

Akihiko stared at him blankly. "If I didn't come back, would you miss me?"

"Stop joking! Now you're just being an insensitive jerk!" Folding his arms, Misaki turned away with a scowl. He couldn't believe Akihiko would actually ask him such a question. It wasn't as though the man didn't know how he felt.

Noticing the unusual response, Akihiko lifted Misaki's head with one hand and looked directly into his eyes. "Did something happen while I was gone?" His gaze wandered off to the note and he cocked an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Misaki panicked as Akihiko leaned forward, but it was too late to stop him as the latter had already picked the piece of paper up. His eyes widened in fear as Akihiko's eyes scanned the contents of the note.

He was officially screwed.

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**These chapters are going to be shorter...for some reason xD I don't really know why.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Part II

**Thanks everyone who reviewed, favorited and/or followed this story. I'm glad you find it interesting :)**

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******Reject or Replace?**

**Part II**

Green eyes studied Akihiko's face closely. From the irritated expression tainting the man's face, Misaki could jump to the conclusion that Akihiko wasn't pleased with what he had just discovered.

Crumpling the note in his hand, Akihiko brought his attention back to his lover. Both anger and jealousy were visible in his eyes.

"Care to tell me what this is supposed to be?"

Stiffening a bit at the tone in the other's voice, Misaki quickly snatched the note away. "I swear I've done nothing wrong this time! Sensei knows I'm in a relationship with you, but he refuses to accept it." Lowering his head, he tried to hide his own uncertainty. "Look, I…I'll throw it away and pretend that nothing happened and I didn't get it."

"Won't that mangaka come over to ask you directly if you do that?"

"Does he even know where we live?" Misaki asked skeptically.

Akihiko rubbed his temples. "Since you're an employee at Marukawa and I have connections there as well, it can't be that difficult. He can simply ask the people there and they will give him the address just like they've given you his address. Frankly, I doubt that he doesn't know it yet; it's very easy to find out."

With a loud groan, Misaki walked over to the sofa and dropped himself on the plush cushions. It was actually pretty inconvenient to be working at the same company as the person you admire, but Misaki didn't want to quit. If he wanted to be worthy of Akihiko, he needed to work hard and prove that he could separate personal matters and work-related problems.

A sign came from Akihiko's lips before he sat down next to his lover. His anger and frustration weren't directed at Misaki; he knew that the poor young male couldn't help it. Still, it was getting a very tiring game and he wanted to put an end to it somehow. Ijuuin had to be the biggest interference in their relationship so far.

Throwing himself back, the novelist fished a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket. "You do know that I'm not mad at you, don't you? I simply can't trust that guy anymore after what happened. If I hadn't found you so quickly, who knows what he would have done to you."

Suddenly, Misaki's hands balled into tight fists and his eyes shot a nasty glare at Akihiko. "Don't you dare talk about him like that!" he spat angrily, "Sensei may not look like it, but he's a very kind and gentle person. I doubt he's as bad as you say."

"How can you still that that? He has abducted you!"

"You do that all the time!"

"No, I don't," Akihiko said, sounding offended, "I merely give you a ride. He, on the other hand, seems to have very different intentions."

"Stop jumping to conclusions already! The only reason why you pick me up and bring me to work and school is because you want to keep an eye on me. You say you trust me, yet you still drive me around and stalk me because you're too scared that I'll do something stupid. I'm getting sick of it!"

All the words Akihiko had in mind vanished, leaving his thoughts instantly. Instead of replying, the author turned around and began to walk away from the couch.

Misaki, who was shocked by the man's reaction, quickly ran after his lover. Extending his arm, he tried to grasp Akihiko's jacket, but he was still too far away from him.

"Usagi-san, wait!"

No reply came as Akihiko climbed the stairs without looking back. He was obviously hurt by the other's words, but didn't want to confront him. While, this didn't happen all that often, Misaki recognized the situation all too well.

"Stop ignoring me!" Although Misaki sounded angry, he didn't mean it like that. If anything, he desperately wanted to take back all the mean things he had said. His loud footsteps stalked the author, who disappeared into his office and shut the door.

Standing in front of the door, the younger male rested his head against the wooden surface. Because of his bad habit to blurt things out without thinking, Akihiko was currently avoiding him. It was the most horrible punishment Misaki could receive from him, mainly because he knew Akihiko was suffering as well. Apologizing had always been the easiest solution, but given the situation Misaki doubted it would work this time.

At a loss of ideas, Misaki stepped back and looked at the door with a sad, lost expression plastered on his face. All because of that stupid note, he had gotten into an unnecessary argument with the person he loved. If he had just gotten rid of the note right away, none of this would have happened.

'No, that's not right,' Misaki thought, 'If I threw it away, Ijuuin-sensei could come over and ask me why I didn't reply, like Usagi-san said. So then…what should I do?'

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**Does this, perhaps, remind you of something? Something that happened in the manga/anime before?**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	3. Part III

**Another part is done and this one is a bit longer than the previous ones :D**

**I would also like to announce that I'm working hard on the next chapter for 'Just a Boy', so I hope I can update that story this weekend.**

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**********Reject or Replace?**

**Part III**

After a moment of thinking his actions through, Misaki decided to give it a try and opened the door. When he entered the office, Akihiko was sitting at his desk, typing away and ignoring the other's presence. He was only working to avoid having to talk to his lover.

Misaki, however, wouldn't have that and took a step forward.

"Usagi-san, I—"

"Please leave," Akihiko replied without turning away from his laptop, "I've got plenty of work to do."

Both sadness and irritation welled up as the brunet stared lifelessly at the other. He understood that Akihiko was mad at him, but that most certainly didn't give him the right to send him away!

"Usagi-san," Misaki repeated in a clear voice, "I need to talk to you. Please hear me out."

Again, Akihiko didn't spare him a glance. This only elicited more irritation and Misaki stepped forward until he was right behind the chair Akihiko was sitting on. Raising his hands, he grasped the top of the backrest and spun it around fiercely.

The impact startled Akihiko, causing his eyes to widen as he looked at the serious expression on his lover's face. Composing himself, Akihiko tried to turn back, but was stopped by a sudden force as Misaki gripped the armrests of the chair tightly. In their current position, his face was only a few inches away from the author's.

Misaki had no idea what had gotten into him. Usually he wasn't so persistent when Akihiko refused to give him his full attention; he'd never truly had to ask for it anyways. Never in his entire life had he felt so pumped. It felt like his heart could burst right out of his chest at any moment.

All the while, Akihiko was studying his face closely, trying to figure out what was happening to his usually shy lover. Misaki still didn't cease to surprise him, even after all the years they had been together. Yet, the bold actions started to worry him a bit, causing him to forget about his anger.

"…Misaki?" was all the man finally managed to utter.

Snapping back to reality, Misaki took a step back to give the other some more space and stared down at him. It was rare to see that dumbfounded look on Akihiko's face, but Misaki understood. He took a deep breath and tried to find the words he needed to say. This was perhaps his only chance to explain everything to Akihiko.

"Usagi-san, I know how uneasy you feel about Sensei's feelings for me, but you know it's only one-sided. The kind of love I feel towards him isn't _that_ sort of love."

The expression on Akihiko's face turned to a calm and serious one. "It seems that it hasn't gotten through his thick skull yet," he said, folding his arms.

"T-that's because he's being stubborn!" Misaki protested, "I rejected him a while ago, remember? He should know that I can't return his feelings."

"He does know, but that doesn't mean that he understands that the situation won't change. If you know for certain that you will never fall in love with him, you'll have to say that to him over and over again. It's the only way."

Misaki sighed loudly. "I know that, but it's difficult to turn someone down."

"No, it isn't," Akihiko stated, "I used to reject girls all the time. There's absolutely nothing difficult about it."

"Maybe it's easy for you, but to me this is something important! I admire Sensei, so I don't want him to hate me for something stupid I've said."

Akihiko's eyes narrowed in jealousy at Misaki's words. However, instead of getting angry at his lover, he actually got mad at himself. In those four years that they had lived together, Misaki had never betrayed Akihiko or tried to run away with another man. He couldn't blame that sweet little brunet for Ijuuin's annoying determination.

Yet, it was impossible to deny that it was partially Misaki's fault; he was simply irresistible in his own way. It was no wonder that another man was enthralled by his cuteness, but Akihiko was not going to let anyone take Misaki away from him.

Glancing back up, Akihiko stared at Misaki's worried face. As he rose from his chair, large eyes studied him questioningly. He admired that innocent, clueless look before clearing his throat and breaking the silence.

"Listen to me, Misaki," Akihiko started, taking a step closer to the younger man, "Ijuuin has become a big problem in our relationship and his feelings for you are inconvenient for the both of us. You have to tell him clearly that you can't be with him."

A concentrated expression adorned Misaki's face and his brows furrowed in deep thought. Without a doubt, Akihiko was right about rejecting Ijuuin, but that didn't make it any easier for Misaki. He had to find a way to tell Ijuuin that he was already with his big bunny, even though the mangaka was already aware of this.

"But…how do I do that?" Misaki thought out loud. His face flushed red when he realized Akihiko had heard him. "I-I mean," he stuttered cutely as he didn't know what else to say. Fortunately, Akihiko interrupted his clumsy speech.

"If you want to convince him, you will have to tell him the reasons why you can't or do not want to be with him." Akihiko cupped Misaki's face and looked into his eyes, piercing the young brunet with his intense stare. "Why wouldn't you want to leave me for him? What is your reason for staying with me?"

Misaki scoffed. "You already know the reason," he half-yelled.

"Do I now?" Akihiko asked, his lips curving into an evil smirk. "Well then, why don't you tell me again so that I don't forget?"

A bright shade of scarlet colored the brunet's cute face. He moved back, freeing his head from Akihiko's grip, and then looked away from the other. The way Akihiko spoke to him was irritating, but he knew there was still truth within the man's words. Besides, if he couldn't tell his own lover why he wanted to stay with him, how could he expect himself to say it in front of Ijuuin?

His hands balled into fists as the young male encouraged himself. It wasn't as though he had never said it before, so it couldn't be that hard to say it again.

Or so Misaki thought…

Lips parted, ready to let the words flow out, but all that came out of Misaki's mouth was nervous stuttering and intelligible nonsense. Mentally kicking himself, Misaki tried harder, forcing the words past his throat. Yet, those three words still could not be heard.

The smirk on Akihiko's face had vanished and his expression had changed to one of disappoint. Secretly, he had hoped that their relationship had developed a bit more after their trip to the summer festival. Unfortunately, however, it seemed as though they had the same problem as ever.

It would have been nice if Misaki had taken another step forward in expressing himself and his feelings. Perhaps Akihiko had been too optimistic all along; it appeared Misaki wasn't at that level yet.

While Misaki still tried to get say the words, Akihiko turned around. His eyes did not meet Misaki's as he walked out of the room.

"Usagi-san, where are you going?"

"I need to buy cigarettes," the author answered, "I will be back soon." Akihiko couldn't bear being around Misaki any longer. He didn't want to let his lover know that he was disappointed in him, so he needed to be away from him for a while.

Akihiko made his way to the front door and put on his shoes. He opened the door, and in the blink of an eye…he was gone.

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**Well...that didn't work. Damn it Misaki, you screwed up again xD  
**

**Thanks for reading and please review ^^**


	4. Part IV

**Hey, I'm back with another chapter. I know this story has really short chapters compared to my other ones, but...this is something I'm writing for fun. It's not really a serious story xD**

**Thank you for your reviews, favorites and follows ^^**

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**************Reject or Replace?**

**Part IV**

The very moment the door closed, Misaki began to feel even more terrible than before. He felt like a complete loser for not being able to tell Akihiko he loved him. It was unclear to him why it was still so difficult to say it after he had accepted his feelings for said man.

Once again, his own stupid pride had to get in the way. It seemed like some part of him refused to believe that he was attracted to someone of his own gender. He had accepted Akihiko's love, so was this denial something subconscious? Either way, Misaki knew he had to fight it, or he would end up hurting Akihiko even more.

Misaki sighed loudly. Wasn't it already too late for that? His beloved had left the house to be away from him. It wasn't unthinkable that Akihiko's patience had reached its limit. In fact, it was a miracle that he hadn't grown tired of the brunet after so long.

How much longer would it take before Misaki's behavior really drove Akihiko away?

Shaking his head, Misaki let his body fall sideways and met the cold wall. He felt absolutely miserable for making his lover suffer. Akihiko always gave him so much love; why couldn't he return his feelings with words?

"I have to change," the brunet told himself, "If I want Usagi-san to be happy, I have to become more confident about our relationship." Although he knew it wasn't going to be all that easy, Misaki was determined the achieve this. He had to do it, or he might lose Akihiko forever.

Pushing himself back up, the young man began to walk around the penthouse. His mind came up with a small speech for when Akihiko came back home while Misaki paced back and forth.

"Let's see now…I guess Usagi-san will still be upset, so I have to be careful and avoid saying something stupid. Should I tell him that I missed him? No, that wouldn't be right after the argument we had. I should stay on-topic and express my feelings at the same time."

All the thinking was giving Misaki a headache. Since he had never been good at expressing himself in the romantic way, this was a real challenge for him. It didn't help at all that Akihiko was the first person the brunet had ever fallen in love with, because it made him inexperienced and very timid. It was about time for him to break out of his shell and become proud of his love for Akihiko.

Misaki stopped in his tracks, took a deep breath and continued.

"Usagi-san, I'm sorry for making you feel so insecure. Ijuuin-sensei has always been a person I admire, but he's nothing more than that. I could never love him, because…I love you. There's no way Sensei could ever replace you."

The words were being repeated inside Misaki's head and embarrassed him immensely, but he told himself there was no reason to be ashamed. Every word came from the bottom of his heart, just like he had intended. This was what Akihiko had been waiting for those four years. If this didn't wash away all of the author's doubts, Misaki didn't know what to do anymore.

The only problem was Akihiko's absence, so Misaki hoped his lover would return soon. It couldn't take that long, unless the novelist had planned to stay out the entire day. If Misaki called him, would he pick up his phone? The brunet doubted it; Akihiko clearly didn't want to talk.

The sound of the doorbell brought Misaki back to reality. He dashed towards the door, his heart jumping a little in excitement at the thought that Akihiko had come back. When he reached the door, Misaki took a deep breath and grasped the doorknob. Upon opening the door, he discovered that it wasn't Akihiko, but Ijuuin.

"Ah, Sensei! What a surprise to see you here." Misaki laughed nervously as he held the door in his left hand. "Would you like to come in?" He stepped aside swiftly and Ijuuin entered the penthouse, examining his surroundings.

"Usami-sensei's place is very nice," the mangaka said, "You're doing at good job at keeping this place clean."

"Thank you." After closing the door, Misaki walked to the kitchen. "Have a seat, Sensei. I'll make you some tea."

Ijuuin smiled gently and sat down on one of the sofas. When he noticed Suzuki-san, he patted the bear's head before his attention turned back to Misaki.

"Is Usami-sensei not here?"

"No," Misaki replied, "He's out to buy cigarettes." He didn't want to tell Ijuuin about the fight he and Akihiko had earlier, as he knew it would only encourage the man to make a move—and Misaki was most certainly not in the mood for that. "If you want to talk to him, I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer."

"Not necessarily," Ijuuin admitted, crossing his legs, "I came here to talk to you, Takahashi-kun."

A sudden feeling of fear enveloped Misaki's mind while he poured the tea into the cups. Although he could've seen this coming, he wasn't prepared to talk to Ijuuin. Obviously, the man wanted to know the reason why he hadn't responded to his note in any way. Perhaps telling him that his feelings were only one-sided would solve to problem, but how was Misaki supposed to say it? He had never been good with words.

With a fake smile on his face, Misaki walked to the living room area and handed Ijuuin his tea. He then took a seat across from him and carefully took a sip from his own drink.

"Takahashi-kun, I gave you a note earlier," Ijuuin said with a calm voice, "Did you read it?"

Had he been good at lying, then the young man would have denied it. However, he was aware of his facial expression betraying him whenever he told a lie, so he decided against it. Instead, he glanced up at the mangaka and nodded quickly.

"Yes, I have read it."

"That's good, but how come you haven't replied to my note? Has Usami-sensei been keeping you busy?"

Misaki put his tea cup down with a slight shake of his hand. There was no forcefulness behind Ijuuin's words, but he knew the man was offended and wanted an explanation immediately. This was the moment where Misaki had to clear things up. No matter how afraid he was, he had to explain that he couldn't love Ijuuin…and for that, he was going to have to admit his feelings for Akihiko.

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**It's now or never, Misaki xD ****Do you think he can do it? **

**Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave a review!**


	5. New note!

**Old note:**

**Hello dear followers :)**

**First of all, I apologize - as I always do - for disappointing some of you with this update. As you can see, this isn't a chapter, but I have something I need to tell you all.**

**Out of all of the stories I am working on, this one is my least favorite. Ever since I published the first chapter, I have never been truly satisfied with the chapters. I don't really like how I've written the story and I think the idea is...well...not all that great in my opinion.**

**That's why I've decided that I will ****_discontinue_**** this story. I'm really sorry to the people who were excited about this story :/**

**If there's anyone who would like to adopt and re-write this story, I'd like to hear from you. I don't expect anyone to take it off my hands, but you never know.**

**Again, I'm really sorry! I promise that I will not abandon any of my other on-going stories, but this one is bugging me.  
**

**Love,  
SuzukiChiyeko**

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**Edit:**

**Okay, so...I _was_ going to discontinue this story, but I've received several PMs from different people who really wanted me to continue. Saying 'no' to so many is something I simply can't do, so I will finish this story.**

**I don't know how long it will take for me to finish another chapter -_-;; Oh well, I suppose the most important thing is that I won't drop this story.**

**That's all folks!**

**Love,  
Chiyeko**


	6. Part V

**Nope, this isn't another author's note; this is a _real_ chapter :D**

**Again, thanks everyone who has been supporting me. I love you all!**

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**Part V**

Growing uncomfortable with the stare Ijuuin was giving him, Misaki chose to answer the mangaka's question.

"Sensei, I know you like me and I do appreciate your offer, but I simply can't meet up with you," he spoke softly, trying to stop his voice from quivering. He stared at his tea cup, not wanting to meet the other's gaze.

Ijuuin smiled to himself. "It isn't because you _can't_," he replied calmly, "It's because Usami-sensei doesn't want you to talk to me, isn't it? I'm aware that he doesn't like me, especially since he knows about my feelings for you. However, I don't think he has the right to restrain you. After all, you and I are colleagues, so he shouldn't try to interfere."

The moment he heard this, Misaki began to feel a tad irritated. Although he loved Ijuuin's works and thought he was a kind person, he wasn't fond of the idea that the man was using work as an excuse to meet up with him.

"I don't see how taking me out for dinner has got anything to do with work," Misaki pointed out. His voice was kind as usual, but there was a slight hint of cynicism.

"It doesn't. Like you mentioned before, I like you and I want to get to know you better. Although you and Usami-sensei are dating, I would like to find out what kind of person Takahashi-kun really is. I don't see what's so bad about that."

Misaki resisted the need to yell at the other out of utter frustration. It was obvious that Ijuuin was trying to steal him away from Akihiko, even if he pretended to be innocent in the whole thing. Did Ijuuin really believe Misaki was that stupid?

For a second or two, it became hard to breathe. Misaki closed his eyes and emitted a quiet sigh before leaning back. As much as he wanted to explain why he couldn't be around Ijuuin so much, he found it difficult. Everything revolved around his relationship with Akihiko, which wasn't a comfortable subject for him to discuss. In the end, however, he knew he didn't have a choice.

"Sensei, I—" the young male silenced himself when Ijuuin rose from his seat and walked towards him, only to sit down next to him. The man casually placed his elbow onto the backrest and used it to support his head as he stared into Misaki's eyes.

"Are you sure you don't like me?" he asked all of a sudden.

Misaki's face lit up because of the question. Quickly looking away, the younger brunet began to wonder why he was getting so flustered. It wasn't like he had any romantic feelings for Ijuuin.

Or maybe he simply hadn't realized it yet.

Was it possible that Misaki had the same feelings for both Akihiko and the man he had admired since his childhood? Maybe he had locked away his feelings for the latter because he was dating Akihiko. It wasn't unthinkable; Misaki did find Ijuuin a very handsome and gentle person.

Yet, did that mean that the years Misaki had lived with Akihiko couldn't stand up to the few months he had known Ijuuin?

The complexity of the situation was frustrating Misaki to the core. Apparently, the other male noticed this as he gently stroked a few chocolate locks. His fingers combed through the messy strands, a modest smile playing on his lips.

"You're blushing," Ijuuin pointed out, "Takahashi-kun, you really are cute."

"Don't say that, Sensei," Misaki pleaded. He couldn't think straight anymore.

"It's true. I can understand why Usami-sensei has fallen for you as well."

Misaki shyly looked back at Ijuuin, wondering if the man was trying to flatter him. The look in those blue eyes was kind and honest, and he could even see the love reflected in them. There was no doubt that Ijuuin meant everything he said. It made Misaki wonder how everyone around him could speak their mind so openly without being embarrassed. His attention turned back to the mangaka, who was still watching him lovingly.

"Why are you saying all of this to me?"

Ijuuin laughed softly. "Because I love you, of course. Is it a crime to express my feelings for you?"

"No, it isn't…"

"Then, can you give me a chance to make you fall in love with me?" Ijuuin asked, moving a bit closer, "If we both try to work on our relationship, I'm sure we can be the happiest couple in the world."

Silence filled the penthouse after this request, yet the mood didn't change. Misaki still felt uncomfortable and confused while Ijuuin seemed rather confident about the whole situation. In addition, the man removed the space between them, bringing his face closer to Misaki's.

It took a few seconds before Misaki realized what was happening. It startled him when he felt soft pressure on his lips and his eyes widened immensely. Swiftly moving back, he broke the kiss and stared at the other in disbelief.

"W-what are you doing?!" he asked in panic.

The expression on Ijuuin's face didn't falter. "I simply wanted to kiss you. There's no need to be so surprised."

"I didn't see it coming…"

Ijuuin chuckled once more and gently cupped Misaki's face with his warm hands. "Since you know now, it won't be unexpected if I do it again." That said, he pulled Misaki closer for a second attempt.

Countless thoughts rushed through the younger one's mind as he was brought in for another kiss. Something about kissing Ijuuin seemed so weird to him. Whenever Akihiko kissed him, Misaki felt a little embarrassed, but he would also feel happiness well up inside of him. However, in this case, that didn't happen.

This wasn't love. It simply couldn't be.

Misaki couldn't tell if his body was responding out of instinct or not, but he felt his hands move to Ijuuin's chest and push him away. Although the gesture wasn't forceful, it was enough to make Ijuuin realize that he had to stop what he was doing. Obediently, the mangaka released the boy's lips and gave him a questioning look.

Both relief and guilt filled Misaki's mind and he lowered his gaze to prevent eye contact with Ijuuin. He understood that this kind of rejection was painful for the man, yet he couldn't lie about his own feelings.

"I'm sorry, Ijuuin-sensei. I can't do this."

It was clear to him that the only person he loved was Akihiko…and no one could ever change that.

* * *

**You must all be very relieved now. Or perhaps not, if you were expecting something else to happen xD Still, the story isn't over yet.  
**

**I am working on my other stories as well, so I hope I will be able to update one of those soon as well.**

**Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review!**


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